I reacon Im a spock Mum, however wathing B.U.B has made me very curious and interested in the continuum method. also from reading posts from other Continuum mums. So I vote Continuum.
Clearly most people are not a fan of the 50's method but I do think that is not a 'mean' as it portrays. My sisters used this way (or versions similar where baby sleeps in own room from day one) and their kids are wonderful. They sleep and eat with no problems and it allows the parents to schedule their lives a bit more. I am expecting in 4 weeks and I will adopt this method too - the baby will get all the love and attention (none of this no eye contact when feeding - that's just silly).
At the end of the day you have the choice and you should not judge anyone who uses a different method to you.
Definitely continuum, which I'd thought of indpendently a long time before I'd heard that there was a name for the method. It seems mad to leave a newborn infant all by itself. Of course it will feel confused and abandoned.
My ideas agreed mostly with 1970's method but I am not following so extrictly.
I am growing up my baby (she will be 3 months next week) with a mix between the 60's and 70's.
Mostly I follow my instinct and I do what I please and what I think is better for both.
Sometiems she sleeps in bed with me, sometimes in her cot next to my bed depends of the day and situtation really.
And she is content and rarelly cries, only when she got a cold few weeks ago really.
Spends half of the day beign carried by myself and other half watching me do housework sitting happy in her pram. She has a routine about feeds and sleeping that she created herself.
Some nights she sleeps between 8 and 10 hours and others she feels hungry every 4th. I am quite happy breastfeeding her whenever she pleases.
She is 3 moths old and well I am not ready to let her sleep on her own in other room
Probably this method suits me because I am not working so I have all the time of the world to dedicate to her. Our lives are quiet and pacefull, we never go to parties, nor to pubs (we don't drink) we love to stay in home relaxing, watching a movie or playing videogames. To have a bay didn't changed our lives to much as we still can do all those things we did before. We never need to start a routine at all.
The 50's method well... I have a baby not a soldier...
continuum all the way, in my eyes the 50's is emotional and physical abuse, the 60s is good but women in this society are so far away from nature that their own motherly natural instinct isn't strong enough and they need the guidance, and of course the 70s is the most beautiful and natural way to raise a child that benefits everyone involved, it isn't just a method but a natural way of evolution, the only fact based method and a wealth of evidence that backs up the benefits of everything involved. Just wonderfull and thank goodness that Claire Scott has graced our televisions and influenced all that are willing to listen and open up.
I voted 1960's but only becuase the other two just seemed so extreme. Personally i actually used Gina Ford loosely for 3 months (she gets a lot of bad press but really isnt so bad) and then everything seemed to fall into place. I dont follow a routine now but i cant say I ever really "demand fed" either.
I LOVE the continuum concept but I just feel that in this child unfriendly country it may be too difficult to carry out??? Maybe I'll try it with the next one!!
continum bar the 6 month weaning. 1950's methods are out dated and down right cruel. My daughter will be 4 in Jan 08 and I followed the 1960's method for her. I stuggled with 6 months of very little sleep, I breast fed her every few hours and did a mix of pick up put down and sat by her cot to get her to sleep on her own. Had I known about the continum concept and been confident that she would have moved into a bed in her own time I would have used it. I used it by accident with my son who is now 16months. he get a bad undiagnoised infection that went on for two months. I slept with him, breast fed (he felt sick and could not even bare a dummy in his mouth) him and carried him about. I would do it again the bond btw us was and is amazing, and to wake up with your baby looking up at you in your arms is just fantastic. Easy to BF too and I carried on till he was 9 months old as he stopped sleeping so well with me and I gradually moved him into his own bed. he now sleeps most night 7pm -7am, is happy, healthy and confident child.
I felt that one could take something from each method, but Dr Spock's struck me as being the most sensible and the most easily appliable. The other two methods were too extreme - the 1950's method downright cruel, it's a baby for heaven's sake not an automatum! "getting one's life back" should not be the parents priority. Working mums would not be able to follow the continuum method very easily, nor even doing housework or eating meals, one would like to think mum would not have the baby in front of her whilst having a hot drink! In fact many every day things we do would make having a child in front of you highly dangerous. And as for letting a young child use a very sharp knife!!! Where are some people's brains?? Young children do not have the necessary co-ordination to use a knife safely. To sum up, I would say that the 1940's method is cold hearted and cruel, the continuum method is just plain dangerous! and the 1960's method seems to be the most sensible and completely adaptable to everyone's needs.
I am inclined to the 1970's method with slight reservations. It does seem a bit impractable for modern life. So perhaps Spock is right.
The Claire Verity method (I don't say the 1950's as I am not sure she represents properly that period) is a definte NO,NO. Ti me it amounts to child abuse and ignores all the modern science. No, doesn't ignore, but goes against modern science. Most the supporters of this method talk about their lovely quiet, compliant babies. How will they turn out as adults. I suspect they will develop bad relationships, become aggressive, or simply lack self-esteem.
For me it has to be the 60's or 70's with a large nmeasure of following your instincts.
I think I relate most to the 1960s method but in saying that by following alot of my 'instincts' I have wound up doing alot of the methods recommended by the continuum concept. I hold/held both my babies alot of the time. Breast fed them both on demand, co slept for the first few months, attend to them whenever they cry, use slings etc.
I think a mothers instinct should be really trusted above and beyond what any 'experts' say. I know that its never steered me wrong. Even if I didn't know the damage the 1950s method could cause, it would go so wholly against what I feel is right as a mother I could never ever do it. When my baby cries my heart aches and I want to do everything possible to make her better, I could never ignore such a strong urge because a perfect stranger who doesn't know me or my baby say I should.
I rocked both of my babies to sleep and never let them cry it out- by 6 months my 3 year old was sleeping 7-7 of her own accord and has been ever since, we have never had any sleep issues with her. My 4 month old currently sleeps 9 hours a night (10pm-7am), we didn't have to train either of them. They are good sleepers because they know that if they need me I will be there.
Originally posted by Pashboy: Clearly most people are not a fan of the 50's method but I do think that is not a 'mean' as it portrays. My sisters used this way (or versions similar where baby sleeps in own room from day one) and their kids are wonderful. They sleep and eat with no problems and it allows the parents to schedule their lives a bit more. I am expecting in 4 weeks and I will adopt this method too - the baby will get all the love and attention (none of this no eye contact when feeding - that's just silly).
At the end of the day you have the choice and you should not judge anyone who uses a different method to you.
i had never heard of continuum until i saw this programme - i had heard of Attachment Parenting (AP) and read a few books on it which is very similar to continuum - we have been following AP by instinct rather than slavishly - i don't think it is a good idea to be a slave to any method or parenting
the only thing i would say to a new or prospective parent is that once the baby comes along all your pre-conceptions about parenthood as out the window !
try to put your baby's needs FIRST and then you won't go far wrong.
I also had not heard of the continuum method until I watched 'bringing up baby' and I will say I beleive that my method of bringing my children has fallen mostly in the 1960's Dr Spock catagory. As a parent I do feel that you cannot really catagorise the type of parent you are as I think most mothers and fathers will agree they have probably at some point slipped into the 60's and 70's method, but not so much the 50's, although I know many people who swear by having their babies in a routien. I am not against the continuum method, or any method of bringing up baby, but I will say that there are parts of each method that I am slightly against. The 1950's way of having baby sleep in their own room from day one scares the hell out of me for a start. The 1960's way of 'anything goes' can be a little to 'unstuctured' for new parents, and the 1970's way of carrying the baby around for almost 100% of the time leaves me feeling how does the mother/father and baby ever get some sense of self recognition, or even some alone time. I feel as a mother of two both under the age of two, it is very important for a parent and baby to have a small amout of 'alone' time. Although these are my own opinions I do not feel that anyone is right or wrong when it comes to parenting methods, we simply have to find our own personal methods. If it is a combination of just one, all three, or a number of different ways..... at the end of the day, if you have a happy, healthy baby, does it really matter?? I am done with the rant now people.
i would never go with the 50s style!!! i would say im more the 60s style with my 6 month old, its more conveniant for my lifestyle, but i do find the 70s approach better for the baby, might have to try it with my next one
now people.
